Sleepless Nights
by R011ingThunder
Summary: Sometimes all you need is to hear a familiar voice. Erza's on an extended mission with Crime Sorciere, but she's struggling with being away from home. It's crazy to call him in the middle of the night, but there's one person who can make things better. Luckily, he's crazy enough to answer. [Mazeverse] Grayza


_**Erza**'s taking a mission at Crime Sorciere, going after the man she thought she always wanted. Is she leaving behind the man she thought she'd always have?  
**Natsu** has friend-zoned himself, leaving **Lucy** and **Lisanna** in the lurch. He'd rather avoid them both than risk being a two-timer like **Gray**.  
**Gray** (not actually a two-timer) just can't seem to catch a break. Maybe he just wasn't meant for romantic happiness. Or maybe it's time for a new direction.  
**Mira**'s stuck in the past, unable to accept that **Laxus** has his sights set elsewhere. __**Freed**'s never, never giving up on her, even if that means a broken heart.  
**Juvia**'s having second thoughts about **Gray**, but **Lyon**'s ready to call it quits. Can she get her feelings sorted out in time, or will she be left with nothing?  
And **Toby**'s dating **Jenny Realight**. The Jenny Realight. Wait, what?!  
_

_Something's gotta give._

__This is the Mazeverse series, a post-Tenrou AU _____where we put your ships in a blender and beat 'til smooth_. __Lyvia, __Jerza, ______Grayza, __Nalu, Nali, Lolu, Graylu, Bixanna, Gale, ElfEver, Miraxus, Laxana, MiraFreed as well as a handful of crackships and rare-pairs as we try to pair the spares. This is the Mazeverse. No ship is safe ;)__

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**Happy Friday!**

**This little one shot is a tag to another story, but I split it out because that story is long and blatently Jerza. This one is unapologetically Grayza. I didn't think you guys would want to read that or that Jerza shippers would want to read this.**

**Because it's a companion to another piece (the second half of Chapter 5 of _Welcome to Crime Sorciere HQ)_, it's one of the few Mazeverse stories that doesn't quite stand alone. The cliff notes on why we're here is that Gray has a pretty significant unconfessed crush on Erza, but she left to spend 12 weeks with Jellal and his team. Erza has had a rough time adjusting to being away from the guild (with no way to call home). After having a nightmare about everyone in the guild dying, Jellal takes her out to a coin operated lacrima booth in the middle of the night. He hands her a fistful of change and tells her to phone a friend. And of course, who does she call but Gray?**

**Irina: I never noticed that Erza's emotional moments are near water! (I love that scene after Tower where Natsu saved her.) But now that I think about it, I can see it... and I'm tempted to create a water mage OC for her to date. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), I'm not big on adding OCs to established franchises, so it's probably not going to happen. I think I'm actually the opposite of you: I don't read the manga. I've tried, and I can't sit through it, just like I can't deal with shows with subtitles unless I speak enough of the language to be dangerous. But ****I love your comment about different interpretations leading to different stories. My favorite example of how things are wide open to interpretation: a friend and I were having a discussion about one of my ships (he doesn't ship it). I told him my favorite adorable squee moment for that ship; he felt like that was entirely platonic/familial. Then he pointed out a scene that he said was the moment when he thought this ship had potential and that he might give them a chance... except I thought that same moment was a ship-_ender_ (the moment I realized that this ship had no chance any more). It was funny to me how opposite our opinions were, almost like: "are we even watching the same show?!" lol. Anyways, I've completely sidetracked. Thanks for reviewing! I'm enjoying the discussion.**

**\- K. Chandler**

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Erza stepped into the booth and put two coins into the lacrima base. They landed with a familiar clink. Erza traced the familiar pattern with her fingertip, one that she'd called many times before.

She cradled the lacrima to her ear, not sure what she was hoping for. No sane person would be up at this hour.

"…H'llo…?"

Erza couldn't help the way her breath caught in her chest when the call connected after the second ring. Maybe he wasn't as sane as she thought.

"Gray?" she breathed.

"Erza! Is that you?" he asked, his voice sounding muffled and distant.

"Yes!" Erza caught herself smiling.

"Hold on a sec," Gray mumbled.

Erza could hear a rustling on the other end, like Gray was fumbling for his lacrima.

"What happened? Is something wrong?" demanded Gray, sounding marginally more alert than he had earlier.

"You're okay…!" she said.

"I think so," said Gray, his voice trailed off, sounding confused. "Half-awake, and half-useless, probably, but otherwise fine."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," said Erza. "I just… I needed to make sure that you were okay. Are you sure you're okay? You sound off."

"It's… _four_ in the morning. What do you expect?" he groused.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have thought about that before calling…" said Erza.

"Nah, it's cool. I'm just sayin', you can't fault a guy for being a little out of it when you pry him out of bed in the dead of the night," said Gray. "And I was having such a nice dream too…" he added with a sigh.

"You were? About what?" asked Erza.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" asked Gray.

"_Gray_!"

"I'm just messing with ya," laughed Gray. "So, what's wrong?"

"Why would anything be wrong?"

"Erza… Somehow, I doubt you called just to say hello. What's wrong?" he asked seriously. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"…I miss everybody. You were the first person I thought to call."

"Yeah?"

"I thought that hearing your voice would make me feel better…" she admitted.

"Oh."

Erza couldn't tell if that was a good 'oh' or a bad one.

"Sorry, it's probably silly," she said quickly. "I really shouldn't have—"

"No, no. It's not silly. I have nights like this too," said Gray.

"You do?" asked Erza.

"Sure," said Gray. "All the time."

Gray didn't seem to be the broody type. He was too practical for that. Then again, sometimes she'd notice him withdrawing from the rest of the group with a pensive frown. Maybe he was more inclined to dwell on things than she had initially thought. She'd have to pay more attention.

"What do you do, then?" asked Erza curiously.

"Me? Well, first I cut myself a great big slice of strawberry cake, 'cause, y'know, that fixes everything. But if that doesn't work, I call my best friend at four in the morning and ask him for suggestions," said Gray.

Erza gave an indignant snort that turned into a chuckle. "You're making fun of me!" complained Erza.

"No, I'm not," said Gray seriously, though Erza could hear the mischief in his voice. "I think it's a perfectly valid way to approach the situation."

"Yes, you are!"

"All right, maybe," said Gray. "But it made you laugh."

"It did," conceded Erza. "But if we were in the same room, instead of on the phone, I'll have you know that I'd smack you for that one."

"Duly noted. Good thing I'm safely on the other side of the phone, then," said Gray. "Seriously, though? I'm just glad you're not in some kind of trouble. I was honestly a little bit worried for a sec."

"Trouble?" asked Erza. "Like on a job?"

"Maybe. Or maybe something happened with a certain ex-con we both know," Gray added.

"You mean with Jellal? It's nothing like that," said Erza quickly. "He's not that kind of person."

"If you say so."

"He wouldn't do anything of the sort," insisted Erza.

"He'd better not. Or me and the Flame Brain'll have to tell him what's up. I'm just saying."

"Gray!" scolded Erza.

"It's not me, it's Natsu. You know how he gets about his friends. There's no stopping him then. Complete and total annihilation."

"To say nothing about how _you_ get," said Erza.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Gray.

"You're just as bad as he is!" said Erza.

"That's not remotely true," protested Gray. "I am _nothing_ like that idiot."

"You can't deny that you get in over your head sometimes."

"Are you doubting my mad skills?" teased Gray. "Erza, I'm insulted!" he crowed.

"I'm not finished," said Erza, unwilling to let Gray joke this one off. "Natsu, at least, has an excuse. He's reactionary. He doesn't always think things through. But you do. And the number of times you consciously decide to go up against opponents that outclass you… it worries me."

It wasn't his most recent transgression, but that time Gray decided to single-handedly take on that Death Head mercenary that looked like an overgrown owl still bothered her. The fact that he had been trying to rescue her at the time only made it worse.

"Wow…" said Gray, his voice shaking as if he were choking back an incredulous laugh. At least, Erza hoped it was a laugh. "I don't know if I should be flattered or offended by that one," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Erza.

"Outclass?" asked Gray, an undercurrent of annoyance that had entered his tone. "Who's getting outclassed? Not me, I hope."

Erza cringed. "I didn't mean it that way," she said quickly. It had been a stupid thing to say.

"You _do _know you do the same thing, right?" challenged Gray. "A certain battle with a certain dark guild master named Jose comes to mind."

"That's not fair," said Erza. "Gray…"

"Seems fair to me," said Gray. "Look, I freak you out; you freak me out, too. Why don't we call it even?"

"It still worries me," insisted Erza. She couldn't help it. Gray could be reckless sometimes. And now that she wasn't around, her concern seemed valid.

"It shouldn't. I mean, I'm still here, right?" said Gray. "Alive and kickin'. I may not be S-Class yet, but I've got things under control."

"I know you do. And you should know that I trust you most of all, but that doesn't mean that I don't still worry," said Erza.

Gray sighed. "It's sweet of you to worry, Erza. Nothin' _to_ worry about, but the thought's appreciated."

Erza fed two more 50-jewel-pieces into the base of the lacrima.

"So, how is everyone?" she asked, changing the subject before they ended up fighting over something stupid.

"Oh, you know. Same old, same old," said Gray. "Lucy never has enough to pay her rent."

"Is she okay?" asked Erza.

"Yeah, she's hanging with Levy a lot, and doing jobs with her and Gajeel. I think she's fine," said Gray.

"What about Natsu?" asked Erza.

"Haven't seen him around. He's out on a job," said Gray.

"By himself?" asked Erza.

"Nah, he has Happy with him," said Gray.

"That's… odd," said Erza, frowning. Why didn't he take Lucy along, especially considering that she needed the money?

"I'm sure he's fine," said Gray. "The Magic Council hasn't fined the guild for any wanton acts of destruction lately, so I'm sure Flame Brain can't be getting into too much trouble."

"I guess you're right. How's Juvia?" Erza asked. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but it seemed polite to ask after her too. After all, she and Gray were rather close.

"Good," said Gray.

"Just good?" pressed Erza, suddenly curious.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I don't know what you're looking for…" said Gray.

"You guys talk lately?" she asked. Her heart gave an odd twinge as she remembered how cute they looked at the Victory Gala.

"Yeah, a little bit, actually. Lyon made me promise to look out for her, so that's a thing now. He's turned into a total sap, which is honestly pretty funny."

"Lyon? You mean your old friend?" asked Erza, recalling how they'd worked with Gray's rival during the Oración Seis mission.

"Friend… yeah. I guess we can call him that. I mean, if Jellal's your friend, then I guess Lyon's mine," said Gray.

"You don't seem happy to talk about him," said Erza. She traced the edge of the lacrima with an idle fingertip.

"What a shocker," deadpanned Gray. "You know, he's never been my favorite person, even back when we were kids."

"Then why are we talking about him?" asked Erza.

"You're the one who asked!" said Gray.

"No, I mean, what does Lyon have anything to do with anything?" Erza clarified.

"Oh. Um. I guess you wouldn't have heard," said Gray. "They're going out now. Him and Juvia."

"Oh, that's… too bad!" said Erza sympathetically.

"Is it?" asked Gray.

"Isn't it?" asked Erza.

"Well, normally I'd give my condolences to anyone stuck with Lyon, but they seem pretty happy to me. Who am I to get in the way of that?" said Gray. "No accounting for taste, I guess."

"How are you feeling about it?" asked Erza gently. Half the guild had assumed that Gray and Juvia were a done deal. Surely, he had to have some regrets about how things worked out.

Gray gave a dramatic sigh. "…Go figure, he's beat me to the punch again. I don't know if that's fair, though. I mean, he got seven extra years to work things out. Do I still win if I hook up with someone in less than that?"

"Gray!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" he chuckled.

"Seriously, though."

"Eh, it is what it is," said Gray. "I figure if anyone's going to be up-in-arms about things, it'd be Gajeel, and he seems to be okay with it. Besides, I think Lyon'll treat her right."

"There you go. Always looking out for everyone," said Erza fondly.

"I try, at least," said Gray. "Speaking of looking out, how's, uh… how's your liaison assignment going?" he asked.

"Good," said Erza. She smiled to herself, thinking that afternoon they'd spent making lunch together in the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"Um-hm. Yeah. It's, um, it's a good time," faltered Erza. She wasn't sure why she was being so hesitant. She was having a great time with Jellal and his team. It wasn't quite what she expected, but any time with Jellal was something precious, so she wasn't complaining.

Maybe she just didn't feel like sharing _everything_ with Gray. He may have been her closest confidante, but that hardly meant that she was ready to share the details on something so personal.

"…I'm glad," said Gray finally. "And let everyone know that I said hi. Give Ultear my best. And tell that jer—I mean _Jellal_—that he'd better be on his best behavior."

Erza's flushed at that, feeling self-conscious. But that was silly. Gray couldn't possibly have known how close she and Jellal were getting, could he? Or that she was planning on asking Jellal to keep her around for longer, as soon as she could figure out how to broach the question.

"You know I can take care of myself, right?" said Erza.

"I know you can," said Gray. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to try."

"Like I said, always looking out for everyone," sighed Erza, slipping two more coins into the machine. "But what about you?"

"What _about_ me?" asked Gray.

"You haven't told me how you're doing yet," she said.

Another long pause. Was he really that tired? He said that he didn't care, but Erza was starting to feel bad for waking him.

"…I'm just peachy," he said finally.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," echoed Gray. Then he sighed. "Erza, I just—"

"What?" asked Erza.

"…never mind."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Gray."

"What?"

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing. Nothing's going on," he said quickly.

"_Gray_."

"I swear, it's nothing," he said again.

"Don't give me that, Gray Fullbuster," she hissed. It was strange. They hadn't talked since she had left the guild, but she felt like she'd had a very similar conversation with him lately. She just couldn't remember when.

"Does the full name mean I'm in trouble?" he chuckled.

"Tell me what's going on," Erza insisted.

Another sigh. "Erza, I just wanted to say…"

"Gray?"

No response.

"Gray, you still there?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here."

"You're _sure_ everything's okay?" asked Erza.

"Why do you keep asking me that?" asked Gray.

"Just a feeling I have," said Erza.

"Yes, everything's fine," said Gray. "Just enjoy your time away and don't worry about anything here, okay? I've got everything under control."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Cross my heart," said Gray.

"So, what did you want to tell me earlier?" asked Erza.

"When?" Gray asked.

"Just now," said Erza.

"Just now?" he repeated.

"Yes. Just now."

"It was nothing. Just… I hope you're having a good time. An amazing time," he said. "Are you?"

"…I am," said Erza.

"As long as you're happy, then I am too," said Gray. "Time spent with the ones you care about, that's worth more than anything. Take advantage of it."

Erza nodded, even though he couldn't see her. He was right about that. Jellal was far from the only person she cared about, though. She'd always feel lucky that she had Gray and the rest of the team. The whole Fairy Tail guild, really.

The corners of her mouth pulled upwards into a smile.

"Gray?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you," she said softly.

"For what?" he asked.

"For always being there," said Erza.

He hummed in response.

"I think I'm feeling better now," she said. Talking with Gray always helped her find her center, as she knew it would tonight.

"Good. Glad to hear it," said Gray.

"I should probably let you get back to bed. Good night. Or maybe it's good morning?" said Erza. She wondered what time it was now. The sky was still dark, but they had been talking for a while.

Gray chuckled, his voice fond. "Sweet dreams, Erza."

Erza couldn't help the smile on her face as she set the lacrima down and stepped out of the booth.

"Any more of that, and I was starting to wonder if I needed to run back and dig for change under the sofa cushions," said Jellal wryly.

"Sorry," mumbled Erza. She looked away, fighting the urge to fidget. It was just pocket change, but she still hadn't meant to spend all of Jellal's money like that. It was rude of her.

"Good talk?" asked Jellal, falling into step next to her as they headed back to HQ.

She hummed in agreement, her chest filled with warmth. Maybe she had lost track of time, but she didn't regret it a bit.

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******Let me know what you guys thought of it. If you're looking for a companion piece to this one, this parallels the Grayza chapter of _Happiness Comes in Waves_.******

******We're going to spend the next few stories on Gray sorting out his feelings. ************For those who are following Mazeverse as a whole (or even just Gray's story-line), you know what Gray's up against, and why he would start by drinking away his sorrows. Next week we start out a new multi-chapter that's a little bit introspective, a little bit comedic and all about Gray. ******

**Check out my profile next Friday for ****_[Mazeverse] Fuzzy_****, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.**


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